Escape from Eden (Original Series book 2) (19 page)

Pressing my finger to the communicator, I tap: "Link captured. I will turn off field."

I tap it one more time to make sure they got it. I can only imagine what Colt is doing right now. He probably has someone rushing to my room to see if I'm really gone. Then there will probably be a bunch of curse words. It takes a full three minutes before there's a response.

"You lied."

I tap back: "Yes."

It's a few more seconds, then, "Be careful."

I blow air through my lips and slip the communicator into my breast pocket. Pressing the button on my wristpad, the 3-D topographic map appears. Enfield isn't far, maybe another two hundred yards.

Taking my backpack and the metal plate with me, I straighten and think about the darts I'd found, hoping to find a pattern. If a Techhead designed it, they would've been very methodical in their placement. They seem to be placed every fifty feet and in a checkered pattern. I could be way off, though, having only seen a fraction of the darts.

Because I have nothing else to go on, I do my best to stick to the pattern and sprint forward. There's a whistling through the air. I lift the metal shield just as something stabs through it directly in front of my face. I run the risk of being electrocuted if they can't get a blood sample, but I figure where they just found an Original, they will assume Link wasn't alone and won't be so quick to shock me dead, seeing how I have such valuable blood and all. I hope anyway. I'm taking a huge risk.

A dart zings through the night, but I block this one too. I veer left, realizing I calculated the pattern wrong. I really have no idea what I'm doing.

The trees thin, giving me a view of a tall brick wall surrounding Enfield. While I am still running, I examine the map. A red dot blinks near the back. This is the safest place to climb without being seen by security cameras. I curse. I was hoping to come out closer to it, but I'm at least another hundred yards away.

Another whistling. I lift the shield and just barely manage to knock the dart away. I'm sprinting as fast as I can, my lungs expanding to their full capacity. The hair on my arms lift, as if the air has suddenly become more electric. My heart races. If they don't get a reading on me soon, I may very well be burned to a crisp. A small part of me prefers this to being captured. I grit my teeth.
Just don't get captured.

The next time there's a zinging sound, I move the metal away from me. The dart pierces my thigh, nearly dropping me to the ground. I gasp and quickly pull it out before I'm shocked. That hurt worse than I thought it would! I toss it as far as I can away from the wall. When the guards come to investigate, I hope I'll be long gone.

I run to the wall and quickly unzip my bag. I pull out a grapple gun and point it at the top of the fifteen-foot wall. A long, thin cable shoots to the top and catches on the edge. I throw my pack over my shoulders and begin to climb. My muscles are shot from the quick sprint, so I'm slower than I'd like to be, but eventually I reach the top.

Just as I'm about to climb over, I hear another zinging. My heart stops. I'm not protected.

The dart imbeds itself deep into my calf, but I can't pull it out right away as I'm clinging to the wall's edge. I scramble to the top and reach back, but just as I grab it, a shot of electricity shoots through me sending my body into spasms. The dart slides from my skin and drops to the ground outside the wall. To prevent me from doing the same, I jerk to the right, making me fall off the wall, but into Enfield. I'm shaking so bad that I am unable to catch myself when I hit the ground. Pain erupts all over my body, but at least I don't think I've broken anything.

While I wait for the trembling to stop, something Link didn't get the chance to do, I take note of my surroundings. There are several small homes in front of me. A streetlamp illuminates a road that has long been anything but functional. Chunks of pavement protrude sharply up from the ground, and in certain areas it looks like bombs have gone off. Not far away, a swing on a broken playground squeaks as a faint breeze blows it back and forth. So far, none of us have spotted any children.

There are no lights coming from any of the houses. In fact, the whole place is deserted. There is no evidence of any kind that Originals live here.

Because the dart is no longer in me, my muscle spasms stop after only a minute or two. I need to move quickly. The guards are probably on their way to investigate.

I pull out the guard's uniform I'd stolen and colored contacts from my backpack and dress quickly. When I'm finished, I grab the communicator and tap: "I'm in. Contact you soon." Then I turn it off and shove it into my pocket.

Despite it being a risk, I decide to take the backpack with me. There are several items in it I might need, specifically the Taser. I figure at any sign of trouble, I can just hide it.

I run next to the houses, hidden within the shadows for as a long as I can. At the edge of the small subdivision, I stop. I'm at the south end of Enfield. In the distance, two guards cross a central plaza. There is no one else. Off to my right, maybe a quarter of a mile, are the two buildings several stories high. This is where they keep Originals. I'm tempted to go there first, but resist. I need to find Link.

There's a security building near the entrance with holding cells. Most likely they would take him there. Security cameras are positioned everywhere, but there are enough buildings and trees that I should be able to avoid most of them… at nighttime anyway. Daylight will bring a whole new set of challenges. I'd better hurry.

I walk casually across the street, but once I reach a row of buildings, I sprint behind them. It takes me a full twenty minutes to run across Enfield. The place feels much bigger than it looked from the aerial projection. I'm out of breath, and my calf still hurts where I was punctured. Not to mention my entire body. I'm sure I'll be full of bruises from hitting the ground.

There are voices from around the corner. I slide along the side of the building, listening closely. From what I can tell there are two Primes. One of them, the one with a deep voice, sounds like the same Prime that had been in the forest with Link. I risk a glance. There are three. Two women, and I was right about the man being the same as the guy in the forest. They are standing beneath a spread of light. The females are both Speeders. The color of my contacts are the same as theirs. Maybe I could use that to my advantage, if the man would just leave.

The deep-voiced man is a Rhine. One of the girls calls him by name: Rhett. There's something about him that scares me.

I keep my breathing even, hoping it will slow my pounding heart. I try to tell myself that I can do this. Be strong. Be confident. It doesn't help, and I'm still as terrified as ever. I just need to fake it. Let my body go first and hope my mind follows.

Their conversation is limited. They speak a little about the new prisoner, and what it means. One of the girls thinks he looks familiar and was simply trying to escape like others in the past. The other two disagree. Rhett thinks the boy is trying to break in to save someone inside. They all laugh at this, and Rhett makes the comment, "As if anyone can be saved here." They laugh again.

I bring my hand to my mouth. Maybe we've all underestimated just how difficult this is going to be. When their laughter subsides, Rhett reminds them that no one is to see the prisoner under any circumstances until the Institute's inquisitors arrive in the morning. I glance at my wristpad. That doesn't give me much time.

I retreat deeper into the shadows and circle the rear of the building. At least they didn't mention that there is an Original on the loose. Maybe they aren't looking for me. Maybe they think their system glitched. Maybe I'm being a fool for even thinking these thoughts.

Gritting my teeth, I continue to search. There's got to be another entrance into the building.
Hurry!

On the opposite side, I discover a set of stairs leading into a basement, but a six-foot wired fence with a good amount of barbed wire at its top blocks them.

I groan and unzip my backpack. The only thing I find that might help me over the barbed wires is the inner lining of the backpack. It will have to do. Before I begin to climb, I rip it out and slide the bag back over my shoulders.

When I reach the top, I place the cloth over the barbs. It's a difficult process trying to maneuver my way over, and I nearly snag myself several times. I drop to the bottom and hurry down the steps to the back door.

Like I expect, it's locked, but next to the door is a security pad. I remove Ebony's card and stare at it, wondering if it will work. Stella said Ebony's DNA was needed to shut the security field off, but didn't say if it would work on other parts of Enfield. I insert the card, wishing for the best, and pull it out. Nothing happens. I try it two more times, but still the door doesn't open. I'm going to need to find another card and quick.

After hiding my backpack, I hurry back up the stairs and over the fence. I run through the darkness and to the section of Enfield that houses the guards, the Green is what it's called, almost a mile away. Many of the guards stay at the Green for weeks at a time. I should be able to find a bored guard and take their badge somehow. I've had harder challenges. That's what I tell myself anyway, but my legs are shaking uncontrollably, forcing me to slow down. I am a lamb going into a den of really smart and powerful lions. I would rather face Junks in the tunnels than this.

Because of the time of night, I expect the Green to be quiet and uninhabited like the rest of Enfield, but I encounter something else entirely. It starts with music playing in the distance. A deep bass drum fills the air; its beat matches my pulse that speeds up the closer I get.

I weave through square, metal homes that are all the same size and shape. Some of them have their lights on inside, but others are dark. I try to open a few doors on homes that look empty, but they are all locked and have the same security box as the building holding Link. Unable to break in, I follow the sounds of music.

I go as far as I can until I run out of homes to hide behind. Just in front of me is a long park with trees lit up by thousands of lights. Music blares from speakers hanging on posts. In the center, at least a hundred Primes, dressed in normal street clothes, are dancing in time to the beat of the music. Their hips sway, their hands touch and some kiss, but despite their closeness with each other, none of them seem attached to anyone in particular. Before the song is over, they switch partners. This isn't a dance about beauty or love, this is purely carnal and self serving. The sight makes me ill.

Why are there so many Primes here? Enfield was built for Originals. I understand there should be guards, but there seems to be too many of them. And why are they having a party in the middle of the night? One way to find out.

As soon as there’s a break in the music, I cross the Green to the party, my head held high. I will pretend to be one of them. I belong. But as I get closer, my footsteps grow heavier and heavier. I stop when I am almost to them. I don't know if I can do this.

"Hey!" a voice calls.

I turn to my left. A tall, dark-haired man, maybe eighteen-years-old, is waving me over. "Come join the party!"

I swallow, smile big, and saunter over to him. "Looks like fun. What's the occasion?"

"Occasion?" He laughs, his perfect, full lips curling upwards. "We party every Friday night. You know, have a break from all the drills. You must be new. Where did you transfer from?"

"Boston, from the Institute," I say and casually look him up and down. From the pocket on his tight black shirt, I spot the corner of what looks like a security badge.

"Are you still on patrol?" he asks me, glancing down at my uniform. "By the way, I'm Rowdy."

I think quickly. "I wasn't really on patrol. Rhett showed me around, but it took longer than he expected on account of that Original they found outside the walls. And my name's Blu."

"Nice to meet you, Blu," he says. His bright golden eyes shift over my shoulder. "I heard about that Original. I can't believe one of them tried to escape. There's going to be hell to pay. I almost feel sorry for them."

"What do you mean?" I ask, the thickness in my throat returning.

"You'll see soon enough." He takes hold of my hand and pulls me forward. "Let's dance while we can."

I resist the urge to pull away from him, and instead let him drag me through the moving crowd until he stops and pulls me toward him. His arm snakes around my lower back, and his other hand stays interlinked with mine. It's an uncomfortable feeling, being this close to someone I have no attachment with, but I don't let it show. Instead, I crawl my free hand up his chest and stop near his pocket. I'm about to reach for it when he suddenly spins me out, then pulls me back so I'm facing away from him. Both of his arms have wrapped around my stomach.

I groan in frustration. I'll never get the card in this position. Maybe there's another way.

A man and woman dancing and kissing in front of me are so close I could reach out and touch them. The dark-skinned woman with wavy hair down to her waist is wearing her security card around her neck. I lift my arm in her direction. All I have to do is reach out and…

I'm spinning again, but this time I don't end up back with Rowdy. I'm thrown into the arms of another man. This one has muscles three times the size of my hands. My mouth drops open in surprise. Rowdy meets my gaze and smiles sheepishly. Did he make that happen or did the beefy man push him aside?

The muscular Prime stares down at me, not a friendly line anywhere on his face. His hands are more aggressive than Rowdy's had been, making me feel sick to my stomach. I can't handle much more of this.

I quickly scan his body, but can't find a badge. Time to switch partners. This time it's me who spins away, warranting a deadly look from the tree-size Prime. I search again for a nearby badge, but the whole world, music and all, comes to a complete stop when my eyes fall upon someone I never expected.

My mother.